Moonlight
by Rock-Nye
Summary: Sasuke comes back to Konoha after his 4 year absence. Not much has changed, except now he realizes that he has to rebuild the Uchiha clan. Judging from the rest of his choices, he decides the Hyuga girl is his best bet. The problem? Getting her to agree.
1. Homecoming

First Naruto fic! First fic ever on . Well, this is kinda AU...like, what if Sasuke gained common sense decided to come back after he killed Itachi and learned the truth? Yeah.

And...**Disclaimer: Naruto and all the other characters belong to Kishimoto-sama.**

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This was certainly a first.

Sasuke Uchiha, age 16 and well known for his ability to have the same amount of emotion as a lampshade, couldn't believe himself. Here he was, staring at the gates he hadn't seen in 4 long years, with a single tear making its way down his cheek.

What was this?

Sasuke Uchiha didn't cry. Especially over something like this.

The feeling was foreign to him. The last time he had cried was when Itachi had killed the clan.

At the thought of Itachi, his older brother, Sasuke's eyes stung with more unshed tears. Angry at himself now, he wiped at both of his eyes and looked back up at the large Konoha gates.

Would they even let him back into the village? Last time he saw his old team, he had tried to kill them. He had betrayed the entire village and left to train under the most feared man in all the Land of Fire. All the lands, for that matter.

As Sasuke approached the gate, he sighed deeply. He wiped at his face again, to remove all traces of him crying and began to put his story together. No doubt he would have a lot of explaining to do.

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Hinata Hyuga slumped down to the ground, he breathing labored. What time was it? She had lost track of time…very unlike the beautiful heiress. Since her father had taken up training Neji and Hanabi, Hinata had taken to training with her teammates or by herself. She also preferred training at night. There was just something about practicing under the moonlight that made Hinata feel stronger…and more at peace.

But perhaps tonight she had overdone it. She was sweating profusely and her long blue-black hair was sticking to her face in a very unattractive fashion. Shaking her head at herself, Hinata pushed herself up off the ground. Her father was probably wondering where she was by now.

Despite this, Hinata decided she wanted to take the long way back to the Hyuga compound. Her father wouldn't mind too much, as long as she didn't stay out all night. Ever since the relationship between he and Neji improved, he had become much more lenient with her. Talk was buzzing around the compound of Neji taking over the role of the Hyuga head instead of Hinata. Honestly, it didn't matter to her much. Her cousin _would _make a much better clan head than she would. Even Hanabi would make a better clan head than she would.

Or maybe she was just putting herself down again. Kiba and Shino were always trying to beat that quality out of her.

Hinata sighed to herself. At this point, she was passing by the village gate. For some reason, there was a loud crowd of ANBU around the gate. Curiosity killed the cat, and Hinata found herself walking closer to find out what all the commotion was all about.

"…Sasuke Uchiha, state your business here in this village."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Sasuke-san? Back?" Unconsciously, she moved forward to hear his answer. She was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't realize that there was a trash can in front of her. Naturally, she walked straight into it and knocked it over.

All the ANBU suddenly turned towards her. Through the crowd, Hinata caught her first glimpse of Sasuke since four years ago. By this point, Hinata was completely red faced. There was a short staring contest, then Sasuke spoke up with a small smirk on his face.

"My business? I only wanted to…come home."


	2. Meeting

**Chapter 2**

Chapter 2, here we go!

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.**

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Sasuke wasn't surprised. After that little revelation, he had promptly been escorted to the Hokage tower, leaving the stuttering Hyuga girl behind. Inwardly, Sasuke shook his head at her. Four years, and she hadn't changed at all. Personality wise, anyway. Appearance wise, she had become rather beautiful. In the short time he had to examine her, he found himself liking the way the soft moonlight accented her curves, visible even under her baggy training clothes.

But he shook his head clear of thoughts of her. Right now, he had other things to worry about—like Hokage-sama's reaction when she saw him. She would definitely be angry, and an angry Tsunade was not something that Sasuke really wanted to deal with, especially tonight when his emotions were trying to get the better of him.

Pretty soon, Sasuke found himself sitting across from Tsunade, the fifth Hokage. She looked the same as Sasuke remembered, as did Shizune. They were both staring at him intently, and he stared right back at them with his usual emotionless mask. (Which meant it was more of a glare, really. He didn't mean to do it, that's just how his face was at this point.)

"Why?" Tsunade asked, finally.

"Why…what?"

"Did you come back?" She leaned forward on her desk. "For four years, Naruto and Sakura have been trying to get you to come back to this village, and you nearly kill them…and now you come back out of the clear blue sky?"

"You don't trust me," Sasuke said flatly.

"You're right, I don't. And I'm sure everyone in this village feels the same."

Sasuke sighed. He was expecting this, but it didn't make him feel any better about it. "Hokage-sama, I can assure you that if I were planning something against the village, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble first. That's…definitely not my style."

Tsunade leaned back again. She and Shizune exchanged glances. Sasuke shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He resorted to staring at the window behind their heads. There was the moon again, glaring at him…judging him. Like the Hokage and her assistant were doing. Maybe coming back was a bad idea. He probably would have been better off roaming around and becoming a starving ninja. No doubt they were going to throw him in prison for all his—

"Sasuke Uchiha."

His head snapped back to attention. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"You still haven't answered my question."

Sasuke sighed and returned his gaze to the window. "I…finished all the business I had outside the village," he opted for saying, not feeling like telling the full story, or that the full story was any of the Hokage's business. "Both Orochimaru and Itachi are dead."

The Hokage knew about Orochimaru's death, but Itachi's was definitely a new development. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at how far the Uchiha in front of her had come in a few years. "Very well. I'll think on this some more, but for tonight…you can return him. With an escort, of course. Bright and early, I want you back in this office."

Sasuke nodded and stood. "I understand."

After he exited the room, Tsunade looked back at Shizune. "Fancy that."

"Oink," Tonton agreed from under the desk.

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Nostalgia was the only word to describe Sasuke's feelings as he stepped back into his room. Except for the dust everywhere (and the two ANBU outside of his door), everything looked the exact same he had left it four years ago. His eyes moved to his dresser, where the picture he had turned down still lay.

Which, of course, led him to think about his old teammates again. How would they react to his sudden return? If he were them, he'd be pretty pissed at him. But he knew better. Naruto would greet him with that same idiotic smile, and Sakura would burst into tears and confess her love for him or something else equally troublesome. Thinking of Sakura and the rest of his fangirls then led his mind to a different topic.

Now that he was back, he would definitely work on rebuilding his clan. But…that meant he would have to find a woman. With a sigh, Sasuke shook the dust out of his blanket and lay down on his bed, fully dressed. But which woman? None of the women in this village were exactly appealing. None that he could think of anyway. What were his choices anyway?

There was Sakura, of course. Sasuke cringed at the thought. Besides, she had pink hair. There was no way he would risk his oldest son coming out with the same pink hair. Next was Ino. After a minute of thought, he shook his head. She definitely talked too damn much. He didn't want to rebuild his clan at the expense of his sanity.

Sasuke's thoughts rested on the Hyuga girl. He didn't remember her first name at this point, from what he could remember about her personality, she seemed like the best choice. She was quiet (like him), respectful (maybe not like him), and she was very pretty. That, and she wasn't one of his fangirls. Snagging her would probably be a challenge.

Sasuke rolled over onto his side. He always did like a challenge. Tomorrow, after his meeting with the Hokage, he would make sure to ask for her name.

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End! Okay, did you like that chapter? Feedback, please?


	3. Greetings

**Disclaimer: Naruto still isn't mine.**

Sasuke would definitely be lying if he said he wasn't relieved to finally be out of Tsunade's office. For what seemed like hours, Tsunade questioned and scrutinized him, all to come to the conclusion that he was free to go. He suspected that she would appoint ANBU to track him and make sure he wasn't doing anything shady, but he honestly didn't care. As long as they weren't watching him in the shower, right?

When Sasuke stepped out into the sunlight, he stopped and took a deep breath. He would admit this to no one but himself, but he had sincerely missed Konoha, his home. Not much had changed—it even smelled the same. A mix of food, sweaty ninjas, and something sickeningly sweet. Perhaps it was the Yamanaka flower shop. That place always did give him a headache.

It was pretty early in the morning, so only a few people were out. No one paid him any mind, and for that he was grateful. No doubt there would be quite the uproar when everyone found out he was back. He preferred the element of surprise…it was plenty more interesting.

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Hinata's eyes flew open after an usually restless sleep. She was sure she was dreaming about something, but she couldn't remember what. Oh well, she thought, getting out of bed. It was probably nothing.

After a quick shower, Hinata moved into the kitchen to make tea for Neji and her father while they trained. She didn't have to, but she knew how soothing a cup of warm tea was after a long training session, especially this time of year when it was getting chilly.

She set the tea outside where they would notice it, then grabbed her jacket and headed out. She had plans to meet Kiba and Shino at the training grounds in a couple of house, but getting in some extra training never hurt. She had reached about halfway there when she thought she heard someone following her. Hinata ignored it at first, but the footsteps were getting closer. Eventually, she whirled around.

"Oh! S-Sasuke-san…" He certainly wasn't what she expected to see.

"Hyuga," he greeted.

A faint blush crept up on Hinata's cheeks, and she began tapping her forefingers together. "I-I see you've c-come back h-home."

Way to state the obvious. Her nervousness amused Sasuke, but he kept up his lampshade facial expression. "Yes."

Her blush deepened. What did she say now? She had probably spoken to Sasuke a whopping one time before—and even then it was probably a "Hello" or an "Excuse me". Her gaze drifted to the ground.

"So, exactly what is your first name, anyway?" He made it sound like he was merely curious, as opposed to interested.

"I-It's…Hinata."

"Hinata," Sasuke repeated. "Well, Hinata," he began, reaching his hand out to her to lift her chin up, "you shouldn't keep your head down. No one will ever notice you that way."

By this point, Hinata's blush looked more like red face paint. "I…I…I…"

He smirked. "Hmph." Satisfied, he began to walk away. Hinata stared at his back for a minute before speaking again.

"S-Sasuke-san?"

He stopped, but didn't turn. "Stop with this "san" business. No Sasuke-san…preferably not Sasuke-kun…just Sasuke."

"O-Okay. S-Sasuke."

"What is it?"

_Tap tap, _went Hinata's fingers. "D-Does…Naruto-kun know?"

Sasuke hmphed again. "No. And keep this between us."

"O-Okay, Sasuke-sa—Sasuke," Hinata quickly corrected.

With that, Sasuke continued on, leaving Hinata rather baffled. Granted, she didn't know him very well, but he certainly didn't seem like the type to give self-esteem advice. Perhaps his four years away had taught him people skills.

As Hinata continued the walk to the training field, she couldn't help but have images in her head of Orochimaru teaching Sasuke proper etiquette. She felt another blush rising up on her cheeks as she giggled to herself.

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Sasuke was leaned against the wall of a nearby building. He knew her name now.

Hinata. A pretty name.

…

Okay, so, what now?

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**Alrighty, that was that. Tell me how I'm doing.**


	4. Operation: hm

**AN: I apologize for the long delay, those of you who were actually waiting. Honestly, much doesn't get done in this chapter, but I promise to actually finish this. I've had a sudden...burst of creativity, I guess. =D**

**Chapter 4**

A week passed.

By this point, everyone knew about Sasuke's return to the village, and like he expected, there was quite the uproar. There seemed to be no in between—either they were ecstatic to seem him, or wanted to chase him out of Konoha with a torch in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. He, of course, remained as indifferent as always.

As for Operation: Rebuild the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke had made zero progress with his target, Hinata Hyuga. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that she was indeed the one meant to help him resurrect the clan. Besides her being the most tolerable female he had ever met, she also had the Byakugan. Imagine what a mix between the Sharingan and Byakugan would be. He would call it…Byaringan. (Or perhaps…Shakugan. Shabyagan?) Their children would be…unbeatable. No one could ever challenge the Uchiha clan again!

But perhaps that wouldn't be so good. Wasn't it that same philosophy that caused the downfall of the original Uchiha clan? Sasuke sighed.

But before he got to thinking about that, there was still the little problem of getting her to realize this as well. Needless to say, Sasuke had no experience in the department of wooing. And he was definitely not about to ask for advice. Who would he even ask? Naruto?

With another sigh, Sasuke left his house to head to the training grounds. He would figure something out. He was supposed to be a genius, anyway.

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"Good session, Sasuke," Sakura said, grabbing a towel to wipe some sweat off her face. Sasuke nodded and sat down on the grass of the training field to take a breather. Naruto was still running around, running his mouth as well, and Kakashi was sitting under a tree a little ways off, reading his book. (He didn't intervene in training sessions much anymore, seeing as the three of them were nearly on the same level as him.) Even though Sakura was speaking to him, Sasuke's mind was elsewhere. His eyes wandered around the training field: from Naruto throwing kunai at the tree, to Sakura's mouth moving (Nope. Still not paying attention.), to some of their gear over by another tree, and finally to Kakashi and his book. _Make Out Paradise,_ he thought to himself. He wasn't entirely sure what the book was about, but it had to be interesting since Kakashi's nose was always stuck in it.

Almost unconsciously, Sasuke leaned forward to get a better look at the cover of the book. Of course, it proclaimed "MAKE OUT PARADISE" in large letters, and had a somewhat crude drawing of a woman being chased by a man. Suddenly, Sasuke was struck with a brilliant idea. If the book was about what he thought it was about, it could give him some tips on how to approach Hinata. It was written by Jiraiya, after all, and he had certainly had his fair share of women. Abruptly, Sasuke turned to Sakura…who was still talking.

"Sakura."

She stopped in mid-sentence. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?" Her words were practically dripping with affection, and it took all he had not to roll his eyes at her.

"Why do you think Kakashi reads that book all the time?"

Her eyebrow shot up, probably at the sheer randomness of the question. "I…don't know. I haven't read them myself. I know Naruto has, but he didn't tell me much about it." Then she scoffed. "But it was written by Jiraiya-sama, so I wouldn't expect much."

He turned away from her again. Not surprisingly, she picked up right where she left off speaking about whatever it was she was speaking about. Now he began to contemplate. It was a series, right? That meant that there were more books sitting around Kakashi's apartment.

Operation: Steal Books From Kakashi In Order To Woo Hinata in Order to Revive the Uchiha Clan commence, Sasuke thought.

And then he decided to never, ever, call it that again.

**Yeah, so, there we are. You know the deal, review. =D**


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